Shaktikanta Das, born on 26 February 1957, is an Indian bureaucrat who served as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Prior to this role, he was a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and India’s Sherpa to the G20. Das is a retired 1980 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. Since February 2025, he has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During his career as an IAS officer, Das held various positions in both the Central and Tamil Nadu State governments, including roles as Economic Affairs Secretary, Revenue Secretary, and Fertilizers Secretary. He also served as India’s Alternate Governor in the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Development Bank (NDB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). He represented India in numerous international forums such as the IMF, G20, BRICS, and SAARC.
Early Life and Education
Born in Bhubaneswar, Das attended the Demonstration Multipurpose School in Bhubaneswar. He earned his bachelor’s (BA) and master’s degrees (MA) in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. In 2021, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Utkal University.
Career as an IAS Officer
Das served in various capacities for the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu. His roles included Principal Secretary (Industries), Special Commissioner (Revenue), Secretary (Revenue), Secretary of Commercial Taxes, and Project Director of the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society. He also served as the District Magistrate and Collector of Dindigul and Kancheepuram districts in Tamil Nadu. In the Central Government, he held positions such as Union Economic Affairs Secretary, Union Revenue Secretary, Union Fertilizers Secretary, Special Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, and Joint Secretary in the Department of Expenditure.
Das also worked with Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd (Mahindra World City) on deputation to a private sector company under Rule 6(2)(ii) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954.
Revenue Secretary
Das was appointed Union Revenue Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in June 2014. He assumed office on 16 June 2014 and served until 31 August 2015.
Economic Affairs Secretary
In August 2014, Das was appointed Union Economic Affairs Secretary by the ACC. He assumed office on 31 August 2015 and served until 28 May 2017, after receiving a three-month extension from the government. During his tenure, Das was widely regarded as one of the most powerful civil servants in India.
Finance Commission
After retiring from the IAS, Das was appointed a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission by the ACC. He was also appointed as India’s Sherpa to the G20. In December 2018, he resigned from the Finance Commission upon his appointment as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Governor of Reserve Bank of India
Das was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of India by the ACC on 11 December 2018 for a three-year term, succeeding Urjit Patel, who had resigned the previous day. His term was extended for another three years in December 2021.
Das’s appointment as RBI Governor received mostly positive responses. Ashish Vaidya, head of markets for India at DBS Bank in Singapore, noted that previous RBI Governors with an IAS background, such as Y. Venugopal Reddy and Duvvuri Subbarao, had been successful. He also highlighted Das’s “cordial relations with the government” as beneficial for policy negotiations. S. S. Mundra, a former Deputy Governor of the RBI, described Das as a “good and balanced choice” with a strong understanding of the financial sector. Former RBI Governor C. Rangarajan praised Das’s experience in economic affairs, stating he would “make a good governor.” Gaurav Shah, a senior vice president at Geojit Financial Services, emphasized Das’s track record, experience, and credibility.
However, Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee expressed concerns about governance in autonomous public institutions following Das’s appointment. Subramanian Swamy, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, criticized Das, calling him a “corrupt person” during an event at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.
Das assumed office as RBI Governor on 12 December 2018. The markets reacted positively to his appointment, with the BSE SENSEX gaining 629 points and the NIFTY 50 increasing by 188 points.
As RBI Governor, Das serves as the ex-officio chairperson of the Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank. He was awarded the ‘Central Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020’ by The Banker magazine for his efforts to strengthen the banking system. In 2023, he was honored with the title of ‘Governor of the Year’ by the London-based financial journal Central Banking.
Das has been rated “A+” in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards for 2023 and 2024, placing him at the top of the list of central bank governors with this rating.